The most useful session I attended was John Feminella‘s presentation on Internet Privacy. It was a great example of the kind of nuance that I see missing from general public discourse on any topic. The first step in addressing any problem is understanding the problem. And when the problem is privacy on the Internet, we have to understand what we mean by privacy.  John’s main point was

privacy != secrecy

that is, our privacy is not achieved through secrecy.  Instead what we really want is control over our information.  When Facebook changes their settings or when we find out about Spokeo’s listing on us it’s the lack of control that causes our anxiety, not the lack of secrecy. We don’t put secrets on Facebook for our friends to read and Spokeo’s data is collected from public records like the Charlottesville City Assessor’s Office. The problem starts when we feel that we don’t have control over how the information is distributed.

Facebook’s big change this year was their new “API” or interface (called Facebook Open Graph) for other websites and applications to read data out of their site.  And by data I mean what you and I have put on Facebook. They reorganized their privacy settings to align with this new API and to align with their business goals of making money off our information.  The two big problems with the new privacy settings are that many of them defaulted to be more sharing than most people like and that it’s very hard to tell when you’ve locked them down enough to suit you.   That’s where the tool John Feminella showed comes in handy.  Not sure what the Internet can see of your Facebook profile? Go to http://zesty.ca/facebook/ and put in your Facebook ID.  Click on the links in the list it generates to see what anyone else can see about you.  Because the tool’s navigation is not the best, I recommend ‘center-clicking’ to open the links in a new tab or ‘shift-clicking’ to open in a new window. Review each category of information, then go back into Facebook and change the settings.  Because of the loose structure of Facebook’s database, there may be a time delay between changing the settings and seeing the changes on Zesty’s tool.

I locked my profile down a few days ago and now the only thing it shows is a list of “likes” I belong to.

Hope this helps you feel okay about staying on Facebook.

http://www.YadysAlterations.com

While they’ve only been in Charlottesville for a few years, they’ve been doing this kind of work internationally for a while:

Yady’s Alterations brings you more than 30 years experience. Our goal is to satisfy our customers with the lowest price in shortest time.

A great family-owned and operated business, they are happy to tackle any job, big or small:

From custom couture to small repairs, bridesmaid’s dresses to backpacks, costumes to curtains, Yady’s Alteration has done it all.

Can’t get the right fit? Arms are too long? Pants are too short? Just a small hole doesn’t have to ruin it. That backpack would be perfect if it only had that extra feature. We have a solution to these common problems. We alter clothing and add features to equipment, returning your item with a “factory finished” look.

They’re a great “Green” asset for our town because they can fix things that we might normally be tempted to trash and replace.

We have the experience to bring your items back to “good as new” status. Most zipper repairs are simple and inexpensive. We offer many alternatives for repairing rips and tears with multiple color and fabric choices. We can repair almost anything including tents, packs, parkas, pants, sleeping bags, and dry suits.

We also make dresses, pants, skirts, shirts, coats, jackets, pajamas, nighties, robes, pillows, curtains, and costumes for any event.

I’m looking forward to many years of success for them in Charlottesville.

In Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Jeff Lavezzo

beCamp 2010 is almost here! April 30th and May 1st are just four weeks away!

If you’re a geek in or around the Charlottesville metroplex or even if you’re merely tech-curious, this is the event you don’t want to miss. beCamp is Charlottesville’s version of the BarCamp unconference phenomenon—organized on the fly by attendees, for attendees. Realizing that the most energizing parts of any tech conference are the ad hoc conversations that take place in the hallways between the sessions, beCamp facilitates these types of interactions for an entire event.

So if you’re a programmer (or “geek” or “tech-curious”) in Charlottesville and NOT trekking to Reston for No Fluff Just Stuff Sign up and show up. I have some experience with the Open-Spaces-Technology philosophy of conference and the results are consistently interesting and unexpected.

In Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Jeff Lavezzo

Q: What did the kneecap say to the top bunk?
A: Stop hitting me

Q: What happened to the cup that fell off the table?
A: Nothing. It landed on a pillow.

Q: What did the elbow say to the loose hair?
A: Stop tickling me!

Q: What did the cup say to the bowl?
A: We’re both good at holding milk!

Well… No one ever said 10 year olds were at their best at 9:45 at night.

it’s more like a sweet doughnut [than plain bread]. Traders sell them on the side of the road and shout “ObamaObamaObama” to get sales!

Here’s a pic of an opened-up Obama:

Mona knows as well as you or I that donuts are sweet so this treat is definitely not part of the President’s health plan!

In Charlottesville, Virginia
Jeff

I spliced together this coloring page from a couple sources on the Internet (click for PDF). I was then required to print it out about 10 times between the two of them.

Charlottesville Tech Companies in no particular order

• Commonwealth Computer Research
• OpenSource Connections
• Perrin Quarles Associates
• ScholarOne (now owned by Thomson Scientific)
• Hotelicopter
• Dominion Digital
• Lucid Imagination
• SNL Financial
• Perrone Robotics
• Meddius health care tech
• Rimm-Kaufman Group does search engine optimization and has an in-house team to help the marketing reps with data mining etc.
• University of Virginia
• and separately: the University of Virginia Medical Center

These government contractors have offices all over so be sure to specify Charlottesville:

• SAIC
• Booz Allen Hamilton
• CACI
• Pragmatics
• Northrop Grumman
• General Dynamics

When finding jobs by going directly to company websites, remember that a company busy enough to need to hire may be busy enough not to be able to get a job on their site. If a site doesn’t have a job you’re looking for, use their website to find out the name of a manager in the department you’d like to work or just call the front desk and ask for the name of the person in charge of developers, tech writers, testing, hiring project managers, etc. Ask for the HR manager. Ask if they’re hiring now or expect to in the near future. Do some research ahead of time so you have some idea of what their industry is like so you can ask informed questions. Then you can follow this sequence:

1. Give them a reason to expect your Coverletter (and resume)
2. Write a coverletter that makes them want to read your resume
3. Write a resume (customize it for each job) that makes them want to give you an interview
4. Interview so they know they can work with you

That last point is often important. A lack of domain experience can be made up for in a month on the job. Being someone no one can get along with is really unlikely to be corrected.

Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, said the trial date became known after Iranian authorities sent a notice to Abdolfattah Soltani, a human rights lawyer who was arrested in the aftermath of Iran’s disputed June 12 presidential election.

The writ of notification, dated July 15, sets a trial date for August 18, Ala’i said: “It is the height of absurdity to issue a trial notice to a lawyer who has himself been unjustly imprisoned,” she said.

The upcoming trial, without the presence of the two key lawyers, amounts to another tactic to deprive the prisoners of their legal rights, Ala’i said. She called it a “travesty of justice.”

She also said the August 18 trial date could change, noting that the families of the seven had been told in June that they were to be tried on July 11, only to have that date come and go.

Iran Press Watch has been able to confirm that the trial of the former Yaran has been delayed.

The families of the seven imprisoned former leaders of the Baha’i community of Iran have been advised of this delay.

Yesterday (Friday) certain sources close to the situation informed Iran Press Watch of a possible delay of the trial by two (2) days, but it now appears that the delay might be longer.

No new date was given to the families.

The official website of the Baha’is of the United Sites and other news agencies announced last week that the trial of seven Iranian Baha’i leaders, arrested in the spring of 2008, is scheduled to be held at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court on July 11, 2009. American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi was recently convicted of espionage in Branch 28 of this Court and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. She was eventually released, but only after an international outcry at the clear politicization of the case and manifestly unjust legal procedures.

The seven Baha’i leaders have been held for over a year without formal charges or access to their attorneys. Official Iranian news reports have said the Baha’is will be accused of “espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” The charge of “espionage for Israel” is punishable by death.

Other News:

• Roxana Saberi and USCIRF Call for Release of Iranian Baha’is July 9th, 2009
• Cherie Blair, Wife of British Prime Minister: It is not just democracy that is illegal in Iran July 9th, 2009
• Congressman Frank Wolf makes statement in defense of the Bahá’ís in Iran July 9th, 2009

Charlottesville Area Baha’is
The Bahá’í Faith is the youngest of the world’s independent monotheistic religions. Founded more than a century and a half ago, the Bahá’í Faith has spread around the globe, with a significant presence throughout the United States. Members of the Bahá’í Faith come from nearly every nation, ethnic group, culture, profession, and social or economic background. The roughly 100 Bahá’í adults, youth and children who live in the greater Charlottesville area hail from Virgina, other parts of the U.S., and other nations, including Iran, as well as Bermuda, Cameroon, Denmark, and Malawi. Bahá’ís view the world’s major religions as part of a single, progressive process through which God reveals His will to humanity. Major Bahá’í tenets include the oneness of humanity, equality of men and women, eradication of prejudice, harmony of science and religion, universal education and world peace.